


Promise

by Oskaret1215



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, M/M, Mostly fluff though, Probably ooc, These boys are in love, its not graphic but its there briefly, race has a gay aunt that he hasnt seen in years, theres a slur but i censored it bc i felt too bad actually writing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 14:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11991567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oskaret1215/pseuds/Oskaret1215
Summary: In the middle of an argument, Race comes out to his father and it doesn't go well. Luckily, Spot is there for him. Just like he promised.





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting a fic. Sorry if the start is weird. I have another thing that was gonna go before it that I cut out. They're probably out of character but oh well. I hope it's alright. Don't be too harsh if it's not

Race went downstairs when he woke up. He was relieved to see that his father had already left for work so he wouldn’t have to deal with him until that night. His mother was in the kitchen, sitting at the table and drinking coffee. “Morning Mama.”  
“Morning Tony.” She stared at him for a moment before putting her coffee down. “You shouldn’t have provoked your father like that last night.”  
“Mama,” he sighed. “Do we have to talk about this right now? Can’t I just get breakfast and then go out with my friends?”  
“Fine. What friends and what are you doing?”  
“Scott, Jack, Davey, Michael, Andrew, Charlie, Romeo, and Jordan. We’re going to Jack’s house to watch movies and play video games.”  
“Okay. What time will you be home?”  
“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know.” She nodded and he moved to get some cereal.  
“You should apologize to your father though.”  
“Mama, I didn’t do anything wrong. I spent time with my aunt. There’s nothing to be mad about.”  
“Yes there is, Tony. The way she is… it's just not right.” Race clenched his jaw and she continued. “You have to understand why he doesn't want you near her.”  
“Mama just drop it. I'll have this conversation with him tonight.” She touched his shoulder and he tried not to flinch.  
“Okay. As long as you understand that he just wants what's best for you.” Race shrugged her off and walked back to his room to eat, not that he was very hungry anymore. He placed his food down on his desk and sat, resting his head in his hands. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before picking up his phone. He smiled when he saw a text from Spot.  
From Spot: hey is it ok if i pick u up at 1:30 so we have time to be together before going to jacks  
To Spot: ofc  
To Spot: im never gonna say no to spending time with u  
From Spot: ok just making sure  
From Spot: how was ur dad last night  
To Spot: he went to his office right when we got home so i didnt see him really and then he was already at work when i woke up this morning so its fine for now  
From Spot: well thats good but you do have to deal with that conversation soon  
To Spot: i know itll happen tonight  
To Spot: im gonna get in the shower see u in a bit  
From Spot: ok love you  
To Spot: love you too

When Race got out of the shower and got dressed, he heard his mother talking in the living room. He walked in to see her sitting with Spot on the couch. Spot looked up when he entered and nodded at him, Race waved back. “Hey, Race.”  
“Hey Spot. We’re gonna go in a bit, Mama. I just need to finish getting ready.”  
“Okay, tell me what time you’ll be home.” He nodded and walked back to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair before grabbing his phone from the bedroom. Spot was waiting for him next to the door so he waved to his mother and left. Almost as soon as the door was closed, he took Spot’s hand and squeezed it lightly.  
“Hey.”  
“Hey. Everything good?”  
“For now, yeah.” They made their way out of the building, still holding hands until they got outside. As they walked the short distance from Race’s place to Spot’s, they talked about random things.  
“I know we haven’t really talked about this,” Spot said, looking away from Race. “But when school starts, are we gonna move in together?” Race looked at him with wide eyes.  
“Really?”  
“I mean if you want to, yeah. We’ve both got jobs and we’re going to the same school. We can probably find an apartment or something.”  
“I’d love that, Spot. I really would.” Race smiled and took Spot’s hand again. Spot smiled a bit too, but still didn’t look at Race. “You okay?”  
“Yeah. I just can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you.”  
“I’m the lucky one in this relationship. I don’t get how you can put up with me.”  
“It’s not putting up with you, it’s being there for you when you need me. Which is part of being a best friend and boyfriend.” They reached Spot’s house and walked up to Spot’s room, waving to his siblings.  
“I really don’t deserve you,” Race said. Spot turned to him and shook his head.  
“Don’t say that. You deserve all of the good things in the world.” Race laughed a bit and looked down. “I’m serious, ‘Tonio. You deserve so much better than me. You’re an amazing person and you care so much about everyone. You’re smart and funny and kind. I don’t know where I’d be without you, Race. I wish I was better with words so that I could tell you all of this in a better way. I love you so much, Antonio. I don’t know what to say to make you realize how much you mean to me. But, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Race was speechless. He stood gaping at Spot with tears in his eyes.  
“I love you so much Spot. I don’t, I don’t even know what to say. Fuck, I just. You’re everything to me, Scott. You are the love of my life. It may seem stupid to say that at eighteen, but you are. I can just tell. And honestly? That terrifies me. Because I was told my whole life that this, that I, was wrong. And then… Well, then you happened. And I fell so fast for you. I wouldn’t change any of it though. Not the fights, the break ups, none of it. Without those things, we wouldn’t be where we are now. I don’t want to think of who I’d be without you.” Spot pulled Race into a tight hug when he finished and they sat down on the bed holding each other as though the other would disappear if they let go. Race let some of the tears he had been holding back fall as he buried his face in Spot’s shoulder. Spot rubbed his back lightly as he started crying, rocking them slightly to try to comfort him.  
“What am I gonna do, Scotty? They’re gonna hate me. I’m so scared, Scott.”  
“I know. And I’m so sorry. I wish there was more I could do to help. I love you so much. Just know that I’m always going to be right here with you. No matter what happens, I’m not going anywhere without you.”  
“Thank you. That’s really all I need to know right now. That you’re here and you’re staying.”  
After a while of sitting and holding each other, Race pulled back slightly. He wiped his eyes and tried to give Spot a small smile. Spot smiled back and took his hand, squeezing it lightly. “You’re the love of my life too, ‘Tonio.” Race blushed and looked down at their hands. He looked up when Spot started talking again. “I actually have something for you. It was gonna be a birthday present, then it was gonna be a graduation present. And now it’s just gonna be a present because I want you to have it. If you want it, that is.” Race tilted his head and knit his brows in confusion.  
“What is it?” Spot took a deep breath and looked away. He ran a hand through his hair and Race frowned at his nervousness. “Are you okay, Babe? Don’t give me whatever this is if you’re so nervous about it.”  
“No, I want to give it to you. I just,” he faltered. “Okay. Before I get it, just know it isn’t what it looks like.”  
“That makes me nervous,” Race replied, laughing.  
“Sorry. I’ve just shown a couple people this to get their thoughts and they both thought it was something that it’s not. I just want to warn you, that whatever your first thought is, it’s not that. Close your eyes and put your hand out.”  
“Okay? I trust you.” Race did as Spot asked and raised his eyebrows when he felt something heavy placed in his palm. “Can I open my eyes now?”  
“Yeah, go ahead.” He looked down at his hand and frowned at the box he was holding. Slowly, he opened it, glancing at Spot before looking back down.  
“Okay, I know you said it’s not what it looks like but I cannot think of a single different explanation for why you just handed me a ring.”  
“It’s a promise ring. It might be kind of stupid but I just… I wanted to give you a physical thing to prove that I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”  
“I love it, Spot. This means so much to me. Thank you so much.” He put the ring on and stared at it, slightly in shock. “I’m never taking this off, I hope you know that.”  
“Not even when I actually propose to you?” Race blushed and beamed at the thought of being engaged to Spot.  
“Who says you’ll be the one proposing? Maybe I will before you get to.”  
“We’ll just have to see what happens when the time comes, I guess.”  
“I guess so.” Race was still beaming at Spot who smiled back before leaning forward and kissing him. Race reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around Spot’s neck and smiling into the kiss. Spot had to pull away because they were both laughing and smiling too much.  
“I didn’t know that I could have this. With everything my parents said growing up, I thought that I would never find someone like you. Especially once I realized I was gay. But here you are. Even after three years together I still can’t believe you’re here and that I’m lucky enough to love you and be loved by you.” Spot smiled and kissed Race again.

They sat on Spot’s bed kissing for a while until Race’s phone went off. He sighed and pulled away to check it. He groaned and fell back so he was lying on the bed, Spot laid down next to him. “What’s wrong?”  
“Jack is wondering when we’re coming over.” Spot sighed too and closed his eyes.  
“Can we just not go? I just want to be with you today.”  
“I’m gonna tell him that we’re not going.” He turned on his side so he was facing Spot. “I’m gonna come out tonight. I’m tired of hiding it. I’m ready to tell them, even if I get kicked out.”  
“Are you sure?” Race nodded and took Spot’s hand again.  
“I’m in love with you, Scott. And if they can’t handle that, then that’s their problem. I’ll be moving out soon anyway.”  
“Alright. Do you want me there with you when you do?”  
“I don’t know. Not inside, I don’t want anything to happen to you. But could you maybe wait outside?”  
“I can do that. Anything that’ll make you feel better about it.”  
“Thank you. Can we watch a movie? I don’t want to think about this right now.”  
“Of course. What do you want to watch?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe Tangled?” Spot nodded and got up to get his computer. They started the movie and Spot wrapped his arm around Race’s shoulders, letting Race rest his head on Spot’s shoulder. Spot kissed the top of his head and smiled down at him.  
“I love you so much ‘Tonio.”  
“I love you too, Scotty.” Race looked down at the ring again and smiled softly. He moved closer to Spot and focussed on the movie.

When it was over, Race sat up and stretched and picked up his phone. He frowned when he saw a missed call from his mother and called her back. “Hi Mama. I’m just at Spot’s house. No, we ended up not going to Jack’s so we’re hanging out here instead. What? Why? Did I do something wrong?” Spot frowned when Race’s face paled. “Oh, yeah, um o-okay. Yeah I, yeah I will. I’ll be home in a-in a minute.”  
“Hey what’s wrong?”  
“My dad is home and my mom said he wants to talk to me right now. About something related to my aunt. I’ve gotta go.”  
“Okay. I’ll walk you home. I can wait for you if you want?”  
“Please do. I think I’m gonna tell him. I might as well, right?”  
“You don’t have to if you aren’t ready, Race.”  
“I know. But I am ready. I’m just scared because I know it won’t go well.” Spot nodded and squeezed Race’s hand lightly. “Let’s go. I can’t put this off any longer. I don’t want to put it off any longer.”  
“Okay. If you’re sure.” Spot stood and pulled Race up with him, kissing him quickly. Race kissed him again and leaned his forehead against Spot’s. “I’ll be right with you the whole time,” Spot whispered softly. Race took a deep breath and pulled away, not letting go of Spot’s hand. They left his room and walked outside, making their way back to Race’s house. Race stopped outside his door and took another deep breath. Spot squeezed his hand again and kissed his cheek. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be here the whole time. I love you.”  
“I love you too.” He finally dropped his boyfriend’s hand and stepped inside.

He was immediately greeted by his father sitting on the couch. “Where have you been, Antonio?”  
“I was at Spot’s house. I told Mama where I was going to be.”  
“We need to talk about your behavior yesterday. You went against the one thing I asked you to do. That isn’t acceptable. Care to explain yourself?”  
“I wanted to speak with my aunt because I hadn’t seen her in five years.”  
“I’ve told you that she is not your aunt. She stopped being that the moment she decided to marry that woman.”  
“No! She didn’t! She’s my aunt, Dad. That didn’t change just because she came out.”  
“Her being,” he paused for a moment. “Like that is disgusting. It’s unnatural. She should know better than to act like that.”  
“It’s not a choice, Dad. She was probably terrified when she realized she was gay. She probably did everything she could to change that even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to. She probably knew that all of you would hate her if she told you which is why she took so long to come out. She probably forced herself to date guys so that she wouldn’t have to deal with her entire family hating her. When she met Mari she probably realized that what they had was so much better than anything she could have with anyone of a different gender.”  
“You have no clue how she might have felt, Antonio. She probably did it to make us angry. How would you even know what she felt like before making that decision?”  
“Because that’s how I feel!” The room went silent after Race’s yell. His father stood, staring at him angrily before taking a step forward.  
“What did you just say?”  
“I said that that’s the way I feel. Because I’m gay, Dad. I’m gay.” Angelo stepped forward again and Race took a step back but Angelo kept walking towards him until his back was against the wall.  
“You take that back. My son is not going to be a f*g.”  
“Well I am. So I guess I’m not your son.” Race stared defiantly up at his father despite his fear. The hit came suddenly and was forceful enough that the back of Race’s head slammed into the wall.  
“Get out. Get out of this house right now. If I ever see you here again, I’ll kill you. Do you understand me?” Race stayed silent. Angelo shoved him against the wall and Race winced. “Answer me you piece of shit.”  
“I understand,” he replied shakily. Angelo let him go and backed off enough for Race to get out of the door. He stepped outside and almost tackled Spot with the force of his hug. Spot held him tightly and let Race cry into his shoulder, rubbing his back with one hand while the other rested in his hair.  
“I’ve got you Race. I’m here. It’ll be okay.” He continued trying to reassure his boyfriend until Race pulled back.  
“Can we go? I don’t want to be here anymore.”  
“Of course.” They walked out of the building together and made their way back to Spot’s.

When they walked into Spot’s house, his mother was in front of them immediately. She pulled Race into a hug and he melted against her, fighting back more tears.  
“You’re staying here, okay? No arguing. You’re my son, Antonio. No matter what.” He smiled at her and nodded.  
“Thank you, Alma. It means a lot.” She smiled at him before hugging Spot and going back to the living room. Spot and Race went back to Spot’s room and Race sat on the bed. “It hurts a lot more than I thought it would. I knew what would happen, but still.” Spot sat next to him and let Race lean on his shoulder. “I didn’t think he would hit me. Of all the things I thought he would do, I never thought he would hit me. But he did. Fuck. My father fucking hit me, Spot.”  
“I’m so sorry, Race. You shouldn’t have had to go through that.”  
“I just don’t get it. I love you, Scott. Why can’t he understand that? Why is it such a bad thing to be gay? Shouldn’t he just accept that I’m happy? That I found someone I love more than anything and who loves me just as much? Shouldn’t that matter to him?”  
“It should. But he doesn’t see that. And it isn’t fair to you. You deserve so much more than him doing that to you. I’m so sorry, Antonio. I’m so sorry.” He moved so that he could hold Race closer to him and kissed his temple. “I love you so much. Nothing will ever change that.”  
“Promise?” Spot lifted Race’s hand and kissed his ring.  
“Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I could possibly post something about Race talking to his aunt and everything that happened there if anyone wants to read it? If you read this, thank you so much for dealing with my writing and how ooc they probably were.


End file.
